Law School Prep Forum

[starsofthelidd]

I know the standard answer to this question is "do nothing/relax/travel." That's just not me though. I don't have a ton of money so I have a few small trips with friends lined up, but that's it. Otherwise, I need to be occupied or I'll go crazy.

I am leaving a career in teaching, so I have this summer off. I start school in the fall. I'm not looking to create a full time job for myself, but if anyone has any suggestions for law school-related books to read, things to do that would be beneficial or make me more knowledgeable (besides browsing TLS megathreads), I'd appreciate it. I've got Getting to Maybe, but I'm wondering if there's a way to get a jump start on legal writing, for instance.

If there is no good answer to this question, that's okay too. I will continue to browse TLS megathreads.

[Br3v]

do nothing/relax/travel

[Br3v]

Read GTM if you must

[acr]

i always lol when this topic inevitably appears on the forum every month

how many times do people here need to reiterate that doing any prep the summer before 1L is totally worthless?

so again, outside of maybe GTM and maybe updating your resume and cover letters, nothing else you do will be valuable

GTM wasn't even worth it for me because exams are generally prof-dependent and so you'll have to tailor your approach to the prof anyway

if you read GTM and TLS megathreads then you'll be ahead of 90% of your class to begin with

[starsofthelidd]

i always lol when this topic inevitably appears on the forum every month

how many times do people here need to reiterate that doing any prep the summer before 1L is totally worthless?

so again, outside of maybe GTM and maybe updating your resume and cover letters, nothing else you do will be valuable

GTM wasn't even worth it for me because exams are generally prof-dependent and so you'll have to tailor your approach to the prof anyway

you're not some "special flower" who will benefit from doing anything extra over the summer because it's "just not you."

if you read GTM and TLS megathreads then you'll be ahead of 90% of your class to begin with

It's not about getting a head start for me, or the fact that I need to benefit from extra work. More about the fact that I'm used to working really long days (this is the first summer I'll have off since I started working) and I won't really know what to do with myself without work. That's what I meant by "relaxing/doing nothing" not being me.

I'll have a ton of free time that I'd prefer to spend productively, if possible. Consensus seems to be that it's not possible with regard to law school, which, like I said, is fine.

[eagle2a]

I read parts of a few E&E's. The stuff I read was either not covered till 2nd semester (by which time I had forgotten everything) or not covered at all. IMO GTM is useless. If anything, get your resume/cover letters ready. Don't waste your time trying to learn the law

[starsofthelidd]

Resume and cover letters is something I hadn't thought of, thanks to both of you who mentioned that.

[landshoes]

agree about resume etc.

Also get everything else dealt with, like making sure you have business casual outfits and a suit, go to the dentist, get new glasses, etc.

[Aeon]

I ran through LEEWS before starting law school and found it useful for its tips about efficient strategies for reading and outlining throughout the semester, as well as how to approach exams. It was nice to be able to hit the ground running with an idea of how to approach classes once the semester began.

[lymenheimer]

What kind of law do you want to practice? There are invariably some books related to those practices that you could read (barbarians at the gate, etc). Or even law review articles etc. i wouldnt try to do anything prep wise, but familiarizing yourself with the different fields you are interested in could keep you busy or reinforce/define your interest. (0L doing a bit of this once I leave my job later in the summer).

[landshoes]

oh god don't read law review articles unless you really, really want to, and even then, you probably shouldn't. I'm the type who reads that kind of thing for fun and just...don't.

it might be a good idea to try to shadow some attorneys to see what their practice is like, network, things like that.

you run the very real risk of burning out. there are some specific books that I could recommend if you went to my school, and a couple more I could recommend if I knew what profs you were going to have.

but frankly, if you need to be engaged, take up a hobby or something. train for a marathon. don't try to law school before you law school.

[starsofthelidd]

Thanks, that's all useful advice. I'm interested in labor/employment, and there's a ton of popular material out there on it that I should read. There's definitely something to be said for going the hobby route, and I may end up doing that.

I think I'll probably read one one or two law review articles just to see what they're like, but I don't plan on making a habit of it.

[banjo]

Aren't there books you want to read? Languages you want to learn? Classic films you want to watch? Maybe learn programming? Painting?

[Clemenceau]

I would just make sure you're reinforcing good habits (exercise, eating, sleep, etc.), because it's easy to let those things go to shit during 1L. I don't recommend doing any coursework related stuff this summer. Browsing these fora and learning more about legal hiring/jobs/practice areas etc. would probably be beneficial as well.

[BmoreOrLess]

I know the standard answer to this question is "do nothing/relax/travel." That's just not me though. I don't have a ton of money so I have a few small trips with friends lined up, but that's it. Otherwise, I need to be occupied or I'll go crazy.

I am leaving a career in teaching, so I have this summer off. I start school in the fall. I'm not looking to create a full time job for myself, but if anyone has any suggestions for law school-related books to read, things to do that would be beneficial or make me more knowledgeable (besides browsing TLS megathreads), I'd appreciate it. I've got Getting to Maybe, but I'm wondering if there's a way to get a jump start on legal writing, for instance.

If there is no good answer to this question, that's okay too. I will continue to browse TLS megathreads.

I suppose Bryan Garner's books on legal style/writing in plain english couldn't hurt. But you still need to be able to adapt to your professor's quirks. Oh, and reading law review articles is probably a horrendous idea for seeing what 'legal writing' is.

Improving your typing speed is definitely a good use of your time, especially if you're below 50 wpm.